broderie

a mixed bag !

i'm not usually someone who does 'blocks of the month' or 'swaps' or 'challengers' etc. but was invited by brigitte giblin via facebook to take part in her 'trip around the world challenge' #bgtawc and so i have, think i showed my start in the last post !

its progressing

this cushion spends it's life in my bedroom and it's handled every day, when my cousin sharon stitched it back in 2004 little did we know then, how prophetic the words would be. sharon lost her life in 2008, so with kind fond love i do remember her !

my sister in law died recently, she lived a troubled life and caused lots of sadness, as a result along the way, however rest in peace ellie, hope you find that perfect place

my friends called 'jenny' have been doing some lovely work recently, this 'g' by one of them is a cushion for her daughter

another jenny has finished quilting and binding this very attractive snowball quilt using the 'kumo' template set, and so because of a finish, she has started a 'trip around the world' and her husband, terry, is helping to choose the fabrics

well done terry i think !

these visions are part of a new fun quilt that trish harper has recently finished

a dog on the road playing with his ball

this dogs riding in the back of the ute ! 

and these are in pursuit of the disappearing cat ! trish has always put a dog somewhere in many of her quilts, she had to say goodbye to her own much loved little 'billy' just not so long ago 

this will become a pattern once we find a new computer pattern maker

further progress, be it slow, on my #bgtawc

i welcomed this little rabbit family, made by the famous 'auntie barbie', to my house, they are so beautifully made by this octogenarian, such beautiful work !

lovely pears, beautiful winter time fruit, so enjoyable !

marion brought this lovely posy of native flowers, nature is amazing

gayle sent me some fabrics and this gorgeous card all the way from the USA 

and my fabric fairy in the #bgtawc sent me this piece of fabric to be included in 'the trip' at some later date when more is revealed by brigitte

it was very well chosen and will work in perfectly, thanks elaine from the UK !

i have been like many others at this time of the year, watching wimbledon and all the tennis, that means late nights here in australia and then it is followed by the tour de france, so one week down, two more to go ! one needs to keep doing something to stay awake ! i have been stitching 'margagons' in readiness for another workshop weekend, here at home, in two weeks, with marg sampson george 

and i have added the next four borders to my quilt, the inspiration of of msg

all ready now for the next stage, the final border

and another marion, who stitches with trish harper has recently completed this version of trish's floral wreath

it's bold, and bright, and beautiful and stitched using perle 8 thread and it's going to be in the centre of a large quilt, lovely marion

this new pattern, along with others will be coming soon, in the meantime have you seen all the other patterns by trish harper available for sale from my side bar or etsy shop ! good time to be stitching, go and take a look !

 

the twelth month

 

 

a friend brought a gift, a pear and a pig !

another a tree, another a bird to match a bird i had already !

and a phone call also brought some not so welcome news, the place i have called home for these past ten months had been sold and, yes, i have to move ! sound familiar, this time last year i was in exactly the same position ! well last week was a happy week and i won the rental raffle and have another to move to very early in the new year ! i am going with the theory of third time lucky !

so packing now in between some stitching, we all seem to be adding borders, this being my next border to my margaret sampson george project !

simone has the fabric for her next border

denise is filling up her centre beautifully before adding the next border to hers

all the colours are so lovely and i love the addition of the black and white stripe !

this is my version of 'the humble house' pattern by trish harper, i had fun with mine using spots, checks and stripes ! it still needs another border, then on the quilting pile ! the pattern is available from my side bar, have a look and see the others too, still time to post them before christmas !

and i must finish my blue and white, or get started on it again would be the truth of the matter !

a dull and very wet day here today, i have two native frangipani trees growing at my front entrance and though spectacular six or seven weeks ago when i came back from hobart, do they ever stop flowering and dropping ! very slippery under foot and my car gets covered in them each day. this was taken just before i swept my entrance for the second time today.

still if that's my worst complaint for the day, i'm fortunate ! thinking of those close to me who are very sick and its christmas, not much joy really for some.

my december page on the calendar had a nice message !!!

 

the clock keeps ticking .........

one week of july has gone already, I'm sure the clocks of the world are all running fast !

decisions to be made about the next border fabric

and there are some others, border fabrics that is !

a bag full of hexagon shapes and borders and frames now ready for placement on my applique quilt in the making

these projects are all the inspiration of Marg Sampson George or MSG who is flavouring our stitching at the moment, looking forward to another weekend next week of Marg and Jean staying and the workshop on saturday and sunday. lots to organise, lots of excited people and lots of fun to be had

some of the beautiful things made up this week ........... maree's cushion ............ 'a mrs sew and so' pattern, and also below, jan's pear bag

the spotted linen came from the lovely range of linens at 'amitie' in gardenvale

 

all the saturday sewing girls just keep producing lovely pieces with our friend and tutor gail bett, always full of inspiration 

more inspiration, another dancing girl cushion designed by trish harper, will be available as a pattern soon. dressed here in her pretty liberty dancing dress, this one belongs to one of  edwina's granddaughters !

and a pretty spring wreath of flowers embroidered by trish, decisions, decisions now how this will be used

more round things, have you noticed ?

and lastly sharon's elizabeth bradley design, very sweet little cushion

so ! dusting to be done, beds to be made for the visitors, shopping and cooking to organise, but at the end there will be a few days of more sewing and the feeling of contentment that all the plans have worked and everyone goes home happy

it's all wonderful therapy

just for you nancy !

yesterday was mother's day and on saturday a friend and her mother called here to my place.

i have my cousins staying from tasmania at the moment, just for a week, a little r & r for them before other things happen in their lives and after jenny and nancy made the visit on saturday we were reminded how much we miss our mothers each and every day !

nancy said how much she loves reading my blog, she thinks she has it worked out just when i post or not, so this is for you nancy !

i meant to put this on the end of my last post, it is a lovely carrot made form rich velvet and filled with emery, a pressie from a new sewing friend !

some rain drops on the gum leaves in the back garden

and some sunflowers from a week or so ago

it is usually racing towards winter in this part of the world, but we have been having some beautiful days, lots of lovely warm autumn sunshine and blue clear skies

but some of the embroidery that went off this week to be made up reminded me that the colder weather is still coming

judith is way ahead of the seasons in this whimisical piece designed by trish harper, sorry there isn't a pattern !

a very lazy morning has been had in this house, catching up with some missed episodes of 'call the midwife' on the ipad and still under the comfort of a quilt, busily stitching the beginnings of another from a basket i have that i just put small pieces of fabric in, left wondering what they might become

two new scrappy tumbler quilts are being made

very random and looking lovely

its amazing what a few scraps produce, and the basket will be empty so i can create another lot of surprises

and just like this water bird, or part there of, i have my eye on some things to do this afternoon, so must go and get on with it ! nearing a part completion of a project and it has me interested !

SO nancy and others, i hope you've enjoyed this little peek into what has been happening her in the house

another gift recently was wrapped in this very appropriate paper

things that pass my way

just showing some of the things i see, that pass my way, and after some finishing off, are wonderful decorator items in our homes !

in my home briefly, but then back to those who have patched or embroidered them

cushions !

a friend has just done 'noughts & crosses' by trish harper, she bought the pattern and three weeks later brought these all finished to show me, all hand pieced ! she has now finished the connecting strips and joined it all together, will show you the finished top soon

as you can see this was an old printed linen, probably meant for a doyley, but i'll show you what i do with this, you'll just have to wait !

and this too, both belong to sharene, she did the embroidery ! inspiration from 'mrs sew & so' !

and just a few little purchases !

 

 

stitching visitors aplenty !

in the last couple of weeks there have been lots of stitching noise happening here at the house of broderie, noise, yes stitchers are a very noisy lot when lots of them gather together

we have had lots to look at and always excitement at starting something new ! and also seeing finished works of art by the friends who gather !

following on from our weekend with margaret sampson george, so inspiring, thanks marg, all sorts of things are being worked on and lots of ooohs and aaahs are heard as we all look at each others work, we all have more than one thing on the go at a time and the birthday girl, marlene, is no exception to that, she has started two new ones of these, identical they will be for her grandsons !

and this is one of her stars for 'come fly with me'

deidre is doing hers with a christmas theme and last sunday we were treated with her progress

 and, clever girl

oh christmas tree ! that's what i like about marg's teaching and influence, she gives you an idea and you can do your own thing !

looking pale and very pretty, anna has started her 'camelot' quilt

and then michelle came for dinner during the week and brought her 'camelot' blocks that she has done so far and in complete contrast they are looking very gorgeous

such a contrast in both of these making of 'camelot' !

the pattern and others can be purchased from my sidebar, all designs by trish harper

the embroidery girls had some finishes, noelle with her scarf, and jan with her clutch purse, both really lovely, very happy embroiderers !

in all the excitement and noise, i have to blame something, the camera did not take the usual sharp picture, but jan was wearing the perfect jumper to match her bag

and i have been interviewing some fabrics for a new project, yes i have heaps started, but back to the interviewing ! after seeing another of marg's versions of an old quilt, i want one too ! very early days !

and i have been to brigitte giblin's website and downloaded her pattern for her large hexagon bag and saw these scissors, oh i do love scissors !

they are really good, as my hands are now arthritic and very sore a lot of the time, i love these !

happy days to you, i have been having lots of them ! 

 

 

 

 

stitching on a soggy sunday

another new month and the beginning of the next 6 months of the year, whoosh ! where did the first 6 go, passed in a flash !

it's only 2 weeks now to the birthday celebration stitching weekend for my friend marlene and the excitement is building ! i have made quite alot of progress on my preparation, so looking forward to seeing how it all comes together, i have the pictures in my mind, i wonder if i can get them out onto my background fabric, some linen is my choice !

i love this lozenge, it's funny how you stitch away and when some are finished i get a sense of satisfaction for some more than others, but together they all seem to blend or contrast, both is good i think

stitching sundays are popular at my place no matter the weather, often with friends as last sunday, or on my own ! and 'gorgeous' is a word that flies round the room as we look at what has been done by those who come, i am going to share with you some of the 'gorgeousness' that was here last sunday

trish had just whipped this up on the machine using lots of pretty scraps and had just finished this embroidered christmas table runner, i will share with you some of the busy little people and dogs having fun in the snow, even though we have our christmas in summer in australia, the traditional scenes of christmas in the northern hemisphere are never far away 

there is lots of snow and this worker is having a rest and leaning on his shovel !

lots of snow in the snowfields here also, good for the school holidays and those who love the winter sports

gorgeous ! gorgeous !

jenny had her hearts on and i just loved the fabric her box was made from

and inside her box of goodies (love the lining too) were these sweet embroidered floral circles

and we were goung to prune the roses, but earlier in the week, my front fence was repaired and painted and the roses were pruned with a saw almost to ground level, yikes, it was jenny who did them last year when i had my broken leg

enjoy this new month !

grey winter days and bright moments

this week in melbourne there has been lots of grey skies and rain, floods and an earthquake, the shortest day and black caviar winning the diamond jubilee stakes at ascot in the united kingdom, wimbledon starts tomorrow, then the olympic games are not too far away. quite a week !

just some flowers first, all much like the weather, grey and white ! or these, a bit more colourful !

my home has had lots of friends calling with lots of bright moments and i have also been out too. as some of you will have read i spent an afternoon with meredithe with some sewing friends and that was good to see what each was doing.

two more patterns from trish harper will appear on my etsy store in the next couple of days, you want a sneak preview

this is 

'safari sunrise', careful where you pitch your tent, that is when the sun shines again ! watch out for the elepants and the hippos in your neighbourhood !

and the juggler ! a glimpse of this pattern suitable for children as a cot quilt or one just to love and give comfort

gail and the sewing girls were here on saturday of last weekend and there were lots of bright moments embroidery wise, as always and some things nearing completion

and in the current marie claire magazine just out in australia, guess who has a double page spread, congratulations !

creation gail bett / mrs sew and so, well i know her!!! she comes to the broderie house to teach us to embroider !

the pattern and the instructions for the appliqued version and the embroidered one are in the magazine, i guess it helps if you can read the french language, but we embroiderers are really quite clever to work out the instructions when there are how to pictures too ! the stylists for the magazine have left an apple for the teacher, mmmmmh now there's an idea if you want to be teacher's pet !

i have my beautiful vicuna scarf to keep me warm on these chilly days, the finest of wool and so light and warm to wear, without the bulk

my plans for the week are to play with some of my toys and, oh yes that special birthday of my friend is only 3 weeks away and so i am still stitching hexagons and planning in my mind and looking forward to the event, excitement is building amoung the girls !

until next time, i already have some things to show you !

 

 

be it ever so humble and gardening

as the old saying goes, 'be it ever so humble, there's no place like home'

a new pattern by trish harper is 'the humble house'

a traditional house block given a new fresh new look with these fabrics or your choice of course, what fun building new houses this pattern would be

i have been doing mine in spots and checks as some of you will remember

i have one more house to build ! it been such fun !

also available again is this delightful pattern 'yo yo garden'

the pattern size is 1 x 1.5 mts (39" x 59") but could be made bigger by planting more flowers in your garden, trish has used waffle weave in the sample, not so easy to buy these days everywhere, so using a good quality cotton fabric or some lovely linen and backing would also give a good effect.

hope you enjoy these !

 

 you can now place an order for either of these two patterns or any others from the list on my sidebar

cool house and quilting

this is part of a delightful quilt using the oh so beautiful liberty fabric, it belongs to a friend who is not so well at the moment and i know she reads my blog so surprise ! surprise !

today i have been keeping cool and putting the layers together and sandwiching this quilt top with wool batting and a liberty back, it feels so soft and comforting, so now it is already to hand quilt

it has many gorgeous areas in it and all together it looks very beautiful as well as the luxurious feel

the look on the bird is comical, this liberty designer must have been feeling in a mischievous mood when they drew this design

then i did some of this, some of you have been wondering what i am doing with the cascade cottons i showed you a couple of posts ago, well this is it. i like double crochet and am making large log cabin type blocks in all the colours, joining and picking up the stitches as i go and then i will sew them together. a friend had made one and i loved it and so i am doing my version !

they will all be different and i just pick up the next colour, whichever suits me at the time !

then my blooms quilt has been lying on the top of my many projects, waiting to also be sandwiched, so i found some fine cotton floral backing in the cupboard and some wool batting and have also put this together this afternoon, ready for me to hand quilt, next i will choose some perle 8 cotton to do the stitching with

i use the bent safety pins to keep it secure, so now it is all pinned up and ready to start !

a hot day, but a productive one too ! i did have the aircon on !